This invention relates to tape cassettes and cassette adapters for use therewith and, more particularly, to a compact tape cassette loadable into a cassette adapter for use in an information signal recording and/or reproducing apparatus which normally uses a larger size cassette.
Small or "compact" video cassettes have recently been developed for use with portable video cameras and video tape recorders (VTR) to reduce both the size and weight thereof. With such compact video cassettes, magnetic tape is wound between a supply reel and a take-up reel, with the reels each being rotatably mounted while permitting slight transverse displacement thereof, as with conventional size cassettes, and thereby each readily permitting engagement with a respective spindle or drive shaft to drive and rotate the respective reel. The reels are normally locked from rotating when the compact cassette is not in use.
The compact cassette is smaller in size than a conventional video cassette, and thus cannot be readily and directly received in a video cassette recorder that uses conventionally sized video cassettes. In order to operate with compact cassettes in a conventional size video tape recorder, cassette adapters have also been developed which can be used therewith.
It is to be appreciated, however, that the drive shafts of the VTR are separated by a distance necessary to accommodate a conventional size cassette. Accordingly, the cassette adapter is configured so that the supply reel drive shaft of the VTR directly engages the supply reel of the compact cassette when the cassette adapter and compact cassette are positioned within the VTR, but that the take-up reel drive shaft of the VTR engages the take-up reel of the compact cassette through a gear train, for example, as disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 06/413,523, filed Aug. 31, 1982, having a common assignee herewith and the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. As disclosed therein, the cassette adapter includes an impeller for rotatably engaging with the take-up reel of the compact cassette and a train of intermeshing gears for rotatably connecting the impeller to a hub which corresponds in position to the take-up reel of a conventional size cassette. In this manner, the take-up reel drive shaft engages with the hub to rotatably drive the take-up reel of the compact cassette through the aforementioned gear train.
However, as previously discussed, the take-up reel of the compact cassette is rotatably mounted while permitting slight transverse displacement thereof. It is to be appreciated that such transverse displacement in a conventional size cassette is desirable in order to enable easy engagement of the supply and take-up reel drive shafts with the respective reels. However, with a compact cassette driven by the aforementioned gear train arrangement, any slight transverse displacement of the take-up reel may result in inaccuracies in the drive of the take-up reel and in the tape tension on the run of tape extending between the supply and take-up reels. These inaccuracies are further increased if, for example, it is desired to reduce the number of gears by eliminating the impeller and driving the take-up reel by direct engagement of the take-up reel at the periphery thereof by the gear train. Additionally, in the latter case, actual disengagement between the take-up reel and gear train may result.